Versus Womenswear A/W12

Christopher Kane greased up the floor and took the Versus girl on a trip through Camden

The oily slicks on the set of the Versus show were not champagne spills as initial show goers thought but purposely placed shiny spills, mimicking petroleum in a car garage. As a metal shutter was raised to reveal the first look of a leather sleeved burgundy coat with leather, we thought were in for a slick ride. As it turns out, Christopher Kane actually took us on a trip through Camden in London. For those unfamiliar with the landscape of London, Camden is where the weird and wonderful gather up in a hippie/indie market frenzy (although it's lost its edge a little in recent years) but for those old enough to remember, that feeling of being rebellious just by being there was something that Kane tapped into with this Versus collection.

Underground, Camden, Cyberdog and that genre of people that are just so different from everyone else on the streets. They'll wear a thigh high boot and not care about what people think

"Underground, Camden, Cyberdog and that genre of people that are just so different from everyone else on the streets. They'll wear a thigh high boot and not care about what people think," explained Kane after the show. True enough, the printed thigh high boots looked angst and slightly weird rather than va-va sexy. Whilst there was an abundance of leather, lace-up and slashed body con dresses, the feeling was that the girl was obnoxious and irreverent. This feeling grew stronger as an archive Versus print which was half kitschy stained glass window, half geometric paisley and a black (petrol?) streaked tie dye ran riot in shades of violet, teal and acid yellow.

Sometimes the print was overlaid with a delicate lace evoking bolshy vintage slip dresses worn with two fingers up over baggy jeans. The cut-out biker boots were the perfect touch to this grimy attitude that goes hand in hand with what Kane's own collection shown in London. The Versus girl may not be fully acquainted with the goings-on of Camden but somehow Kane has made NW1 a desirable place to be hanging out.